EDFs ability to fail to do anything

Guss

Scrounger said:

Guss said:

We are unfortunately with EDF. We've been getting estimates even though we've sent them readings umpteen times which they ignore. One of the readings Rate 2 doesn't budge but Rate 1 does. We've highlighted this issue several times to no avail.

@Guss , Have you considered asking EDF to fit a smart meter?   

That should solve the problem without the need to change supplier.

Scrounger

Yes, and they were supposed to get one of their teams responsible for arranging smart meters to be fitted or do troubleshooting and this didn't happen!

Guss

Dolor said:

Guss said:

Alnat1 said:

You give the reading to your new supplier and they sort it all out. There is an industry check on the figure which might change it a bit but both suppliers have to use that same reading.

If the industry reading is a bit over the actual meter reading your old supplier would charge you to this number of units. The new supplier would not start to charge for the units until the meter passes that figure.

We are currently about £1300 in credit and with the current over estimate they owe us another very roughly £1000. So if I understand you correctly the new supplier would not be able to charge us until our meter has actually caught up with the over-estimate value. Is this how it works then?

If the industry-agreed meter reading on switch is higher than the actual meter reading then you would only pay the new supplier's standing charge until the actual index exceeds the switch reading. If there is a credit balance this will be refunded to you by the only supplier. It has 6 weeks from the date of the switch to issue a Final Bill.

All that said, you may be in Agreed Readings Dispute territory here. If the industry-agreed switch reading is different from the actual reading then either supplier can initiate a dispute. Why - because the longer the period between actual meter readings the greater the possibility of error: particularly. if there is a large credit balance in play. 

"According to energy industry rules, your reading must have a difference of more than 250 electricity units (kWh) for an electricity reading, or a difference of 39 imperial gas units (you'll see ft3 on the meter) or 125 metric gas units (you'll see m3on the meter) for a gas reading. Anything less than this means that the estimate is sensible and could reasonably have been a reading taken around the time of your switch, and the difference to you in cost will be very small."

EDF Estimate, 5/8/23 Bill: 
Rate 1 = 31583
Rate 2 = 1773

Actual Meter Reading, 15/8/23: 
Rate 1 = 27094
Rate 2 = 760

So as you can see the over-estimate is quite large!! Now that I see these figures again I'm extremely angry.

Guss

Scrounger said:

Guss said:

We are unfortunately with EDF. We've been getting estimates even though we've sent them readings umpteen times which they ignore. One of the readings Rate 2 doesn't budge but Rate 1 does. We've highlighted this issue several times to no avail.

@Guss , Have you considered asking EDF to fit a smart meter?   

That should solve the problem without the need to change supplier.

Scrounger

When I contacted them August 15th with new readings I ask about this and they said they would pass the job on to another team to look at replacement or alternatively troubleshooting but we heard nothing even though we were promised we would be contacted within a week. We also photographed the meter readings again 4 days later and sent them on to the agent via the supplied confirmed email. Have head nothing from EDF!

Scrounger

@Guss , this is unusual as EDF are usually very keen to push their smart meter rollout.

Perhaps you are over complicating things when you contact them - IME, EDF CS they are extremely poor at resolving problems.

If I were you I would contact CS again and simply request the installation of a smart meter.  No need to complicate matters with details of stuck registers, estimated readings, overcharging etc as these will all be resolved when then meter is changed.


Good luck, Scrounger

Guss

Scrounger said:

@Guss , this is unusual as EDF are usually very keen to push their smart meter rollout.

Perhaps you are over complicating things when you contact them - IME, EDF CS they are extremely poor at resolving problems.

If I were you I would contact CS again and simply request the installation of a smart meter.  No need to complicate matters with details of stuck registers, estimated readings, overcharging etc as these will all be resolved when then meter is changed.


Good luck, Scrounger

Yes I may give your suggestion a go but they will have to sort out the huge over-estimate on our bill first. Can they be trusted to sort out the huge overestimate? How do we keep a record of the reading before they remove the evidence? Currently they owe us a fair amount of dosh.
Having just logged into my EDF account it says my last readings were: Electricity 24 July 2023
I phoned them 14 Aug 2023 and gave them readings over the phone!! Once again for the umteen time IGNORED!

ELECTRIC
EDF Estimate, 5/8/23 Bill: 
Rate 1 = 31583
Rate 2 = 1773

Actual Meter Reading, 06/10/23: 
Rate 1 = 27399
Rate 2 = 760

So they've overestimated us by 4184 units.
Currently we also c£1300 in credit

Guss

Alnat1 said:

You give the reading to your new supplier and they sort it all out. There is an industry check on the figure which might change it a bit but both suppliers have to use that same reading.

If the industry reading is a bit over the actual meter reading your old supplier would charge you to this number of units. The new supplier would not start to charge for the units until the meter passes that figure.

Not according to Octupus. 

Regarding your question about transferring from EDF to Octopus, if you have a credit balance with EDF, they should return that balance to you once you've received your final bill from them. Once you switch to Octopus, we will start billing you based on your actual meter readings.

They ignore the estimated reading

QrizB

Guss said:

Alnat1 said:

You give the reading to your new supplier and they sort it all out. There is an industry check on the figure which might change it a bit but both suppliers have to use that same reading.

If the industry reading is a bit over the actual meter reading your old supplier would charge you to this number of units. The new supplier would not start to charge for the units until the meter passes that figure.

Not according to Octupus. 
Regarding your question about transferring from EDF to Octopus, if you have a credit balance with EDF, they should return that balance to you once you've received your final bill from them. Once you switch to Octopus, we will start billing you based on your actual meter readings.
They ignore the estimated reading

Wat is missing from that statement is that, when you change supplier, there is a third-party check on the handover reading. This is what Alnat1 was referring to by "an industry check on the figure which might change it a bit but both suppliers have to use that same reading".

So it's possible (not necessarily likely) that the agreed handover reading is not the one you supply to Octopus.

(Why is this? Because it's not all that uncommon for customers to make mistakes - or even lie - when giving handover readings.)

[Deleted User]

Guss said:

Alnat1 said:

You give the reading to your new supplier and they sort it all out. There is an industry check on the figure which might change it a bit but both suppliers have to use that same reading.

If the industry reading is a bit over the actual meter reading your old supplier would charge you to this number of units. The new supplier would not start to charge for the units until the meter passes that figure.

Not according to Octupus. 

Regarding your question about transferring from EDF to Octopus, if you have a credit balance with EDF, they should return that balance to you once you've received your final bill from them. Once you switch to Octopus, we will start billing you based on your actual meter readings.

They ignore the estimated reading

On every transfer of supply, the new supplier’s data collector determines a switch reading/s in accordance with industry procedures. This reading/s is passed to both suppliers by an industry data flow to open and close your accounts. Using this reading, EDF would then produce a Final Bill showing your credit/debit balance.

@Alnat1 is 100% correct. The meter reading produced by the data collector may not match what is shown on your meter. For electricity, the industry allows a discrepancy of +/- 250 kWh. If the switch reading is higher than your meter reading, then you overpay EDF. Octopus only charges you the daily standing charge until your meter reading passes the switch reading. If the switch reading is lower then you underpay EDF.

You are not paying twice for the same units: any cost difference to you for a discrepancy of 250 units would be 250(new unit price - old unit price)

Guss

So is there a third party check on the handover or does the new supplier's data collector (in this case it will be Octopus) do the reading and then pass it on to EDF by established portals.

@Alnat1 is 100% correct. The meter reading produced by the data collector may not match what is shown on your meter. For electricity, the industry allows a discrepancy of +/- 250 kWh.

Why allow a discrepancy of 250 units!!?  Our discrepancy is over 4000 units!

If the switch reading is higher than your meter reading, then you overpay EDF. Octopus only charges you the daily standing charge until your meter reading passes the switch reading. If the switch reading is lower then you underpay EDF.

Dolor, what exactly are you defining as the switch reading? Does this not come from the switch reader at handover (Octopus meter reader, I presume). Or did you mean to say...

If the EDF estimated reading is higher than your actual switch meter reading, then you've overpaid EDF

QrizB

Guss said:

So is there a third party check on the handover or does the new supplier's data collector (in this case it will be Octopus) do the reading and then pass it on to EDF by established portals.

@Alnat1 is 100% correct. The meter reading produced by the data collector may not match what is shown on your meter. For electricity, the industry allows a discrepancy of +/- 250 kWh.

Why allow a discrepancy of 250 units!!?  Our discrepancy is over 4000 units!

If the discrepancy between the agreed reading and the actual reading is greater than 250 kWh, you can challenge it and (usually) get it changed. A smaller discrepancy can't usually be disputed.

Guss said:

If the switch reading is higher than your meter reading, then you overpay EDF. Octopus only charges you the daily standing charge until your meter reading passes the switch reading. If the switch reading is lower then you underpay EDF.

Dolor, what exactly are you defining as the switch reading?

Curently, you say your Rate 1 meter reading is 27399 but EDF have estimated it as 31583. If you were switching today, you would provide 27399 to Octopus. There are three ways this could then go:

1. 27399 is accepted. Everyone is happy. EDF close your old account on 27399, and Octopus open on that.
2. 27399 is amended by the 3rd party to, say, 27500. This is only a discrepancy of 101 so you can't dispute it. EDF close on 27500, so you pay them for 101 units you haven't yet used. Octopus open on 27500 and don't charge you for additional usage until your meter passes that number.
3. 27399 is amended by the 3rd party to, say, 28500.This is a discrepancy of 1101 and you can dispute it with Octopus (not with EDF). EDF might initially charge you for 1101 extra units but this will be refunded once the dispute is resolved.
   

Does that make sense?